Collonges-sous-Salève

This article is about the commune in Haute-Savoie. For the commune in Ain also named Colonges in Arpitan, see Collonges, Ain. For the commune in the Metropolis of Lyon also named Colonges in Arpitan, see Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or.

Collonges-sous-Salève (French pronunciation: [kɔlɔ̃ʒ su salɛv], literally Collonges under Salève; Arpitan: Colonges), popularly known as Collonges, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. It is located on the Swiss border, between Geneva to the north and Mont Salève to the south, after which it is named.

Collonges-sous-Salève Colonges (Arpitan)
Commune
Saint-Martin church in Collonges-sous-Salève
Coat of arms
Location of Collonges-sous-Salève
Collonges-sous-Salève Show map of France Collonges-sous-Salève Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 46°08′31″N 6°08′45″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Haute-Savoie
Arrondissement	Saint-Julien-en-Genevois
Canton	Saint-Julien-en-Genevois
Intercommunality	CC du Genevois
Government
• Mayor (2022–2026)	Vincent Lecaque[1]
Area 1	6.13 km2 (2.37 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	3,876
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	74082 /74160
Elevation	466–1,301 m (1,529–4,268 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

The name of Collonges (from the Latin colonica) designates a colony of farmers situated on land granted, along with certain liberties, by the land owner. The town dates from the 4th or 5th century. The modern commune has its roots in the Ancien Régime, arising out of a parish whose existence is recorded from the 12th century.

Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) and singer Giuseppina Strepponi (1815–1897) were married in secret in the parish church of Collonges-sous-Salève, which then laid in the territory of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.^[3] Collonges-sous-Salève is also the town of origin of the ancestors of French composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937).

Although the town, as well as Haute Savoie generally, is traditionally Catholic, Collonges-sous-Salève is the location of Adventist University of France – Collonges and Maurice-Tièche comprehensive school, both owned by the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,712	—
1975	2,319	+4.43%
1982	2,519	+1.19%
1990	2,696	+0.85%
1999	3,120	+1.64%
2007	3,569	+1.69%
2012	3,887	+1.72%
2017	3,979	+0.47%
2020	3,973	−0.05%
Source: INSEE[4]

See also

• Communes of the Haute-Savoie department